As I look through my images to choose which one I will post and what story I will tell I keep coming back to one.  I call this amazement, for many reasons-one being the look on their faces.  Mathias is our Grandson, Maria is his Mother and my Daughter.  Mathias was born on April 27th my father died on May 1st of the same year.  April is also the month of my Father’s birth –He was born April 17th in Hartville, Ohio to Virgil and Ida. 

 I had been spending all my free time including nights at the hospital with Dad, I left the hospital when Maria called to tell me she was in labor and drove her straight to the other local hospital to deliver the baby –and he was wasting no time arriving!   It was a whirlwind of emotion, both overwhelming joy and unbelievable sadness-Mathias was born and Dad was so sick.  Dad passed away on May 1st there were all the normal things a person has to do when someone dies- and then there was Mathias, He is perfect.

We called Mathias the little grief sponge because we just all passed him around and basked in the wonderment of new life, the sweet smell of newborn, the gratitude that he had all his fingers and all his toes and was healthy.  This little man had some big shoes to fill the shoes of his Great Grandfather that he will only know through stories and pictures.

 Two weeks after we buried my father Maria and her husband moved to Virginia.  I was devastated and lost but had to keep moving on.  We skyped, I would talk to Maria and that beautiful Little Man we would visit and I would savor every moment. 

Mathias sometimes looks so much like my Father it is amazing especially when he wears hats like Dad would wear.  Not only does he look like him but he acts like him at times so much so I catch my breath.  I wonder how someone who has never been around this person could have picked up all these mannerisms- I do not have an answer for that. 

Maria and her husband moved back with Mathias and have been here for a while.  I get to spend time with my little buddy who is filled with unending energy. I get hugs-the best kind when this little person I love is all sweaty from playing and he throws his arms around my neck and kisses me with a sticky little face.   One day he will grow up and be a man but right now he is my little buddy, my little man, a ray of sunshine and hope.

Every year end of September beginning of October we take a little anniversary trip.  In 2010 we headed up through Indiana and on to the west coast of Michigan (Lake Michigan) across part of the mitten to see Lake Huron and down past Lake Erie again and back on our way home.

Our first big stop on the beginning leg of the journey was the RV/MH Hall Of Fame.  At this time we weren’t RV owners and could only dream that one day maybe this would be something we could have-so dreams do come true.  It was a real treat.  The displays were something else, it was really neat to be able to see all the different RV’s going back through time.  Not only did they have fantastic displays they also have a great library upstairs-a real go to for any RV enthusiast or historian, in fact when I needed some special information about our rv I called their library to see what they had and they were very helpful. 

From Indiana we headed up the west side of Michigan.  Now take into consideration that this trip is over a weeks time so I am only posting the highlights.  We stopped one day at The Kirby House to eat.  The Kirby House was in Grand Haven, Michigan.  From what I found out the Kirby was established as a hotel in 1873 and there are some rumors of hauntings.  We didn’t see any ghosts but sure had a great meal with some historical architecture.   

Part of the reason that we ventured up along the coast is of course-my love of lighthouses.  I am completely obsessed.  So of course we stopped at every one we saw along the way.  Little Sable Point was one of them.  The next one on with images today is Ludington North Pierhead.   At Ludington I spent a lot of time getting tons of images.  I have to say it was a beautiful day but still a bit windy with all the winds whipping across Lake Michigan. 

At that time we liked to stay at interesting hotels-we still do but with an RV that is where we usually sleep.  The hotel we stayed at in Onekama, Michigan.  The Portage Point Inn is on a narrow stretch of land between Lake Michigan and Portage Lake.  This Inn was incredible, very historic and at that time of year we had the Inn pretty much to ourselves which was pretty cool.  I felt like I stepped back in time, it is a must stay at inn for sure!  According to records the Portage Point Inn began construction in 1902 with buildings being added up until the 1950’s.  It was a little creepy to have the only room occupied on the third floor.

Now there are a couple things that amazed me by the west coast of Michigan- one was the rocky coast which is spectacular in itself,  and  the other is the sand dunes which are incredible also.

We broke off across the state from Onekama and drove -meandering through national forest areas and farmlands.  At one point as we got closer to the Thumb we started noticing all these trucks filled with things that looked like yams.  Well it turns out they were sugar beets.  So we looked things up and found out some information on sugar beets.

We drove through Frankenmuth, Michigan but only stopped at Bonners and not for very long.  I think Frankenmuth would be more of a two day stay so we really didn’t visit there long.  We did drive through Akron, Michigan also since we live close to Akron here (in Ohio) and Steve grew up close to this Akron we had to at least stop by the sign. 

We also stayed at the Garfield Inn during this trip in Port Austin, Michigan.  It was beautiful.  We had great food and a good nights sleep there, but this also appears to now be closed.  We drove by the Port Austin Reef Light from there –now we were seeing lights on Lake Huron. We passed  by the Harbor Beach Light and the Port Sanilac Lighthouse.  We did a lot of walking on this trip, drove through a lot of great little towns and really enjoyed the colors of fall and the beautiful weather.

For the last few years we have headed up to an event in Olean, New York called the Meltdown Music Festival.  It is put on by some wonderful people who open up their property for this great music/camping/food/fun weekend.   In June 2013 we packed  up and headed that way.  Steve was playing in the afternoon.  We were really looking forward to it.  But it was a rainy June and we took the good old rv.  We headed up Rockabilly Mountain- which was a little scary with our little home on wheels-but we made it.  Steve played and we stayed for some of the music and then decided we better head back down the hill since there was more rain coming in.  Which was sad because it is certainly a beautiful place to be.

Each year we go to Olean we always stop by Rock City Park which is a must see travel destination.  I believe hasn’t changed since it was first noted as a tourist attraction in 1890.  It is a fun park but can be slightly difficult to traverse some of the trails-I would still recommend stopping out there and checking out the view and enjoy the history.  It has a lot of fun signs and a unique gift shop. 

We headed north from Rock City Park and headed up to Derby, NY where we stopped at  Super Freeze and saw Big George with a giant ice cream cone!  We love Muffler Men and giant things so this was a treat the shop wasn’t open but while we were there the owner pulled in and invited us inside to look around and snap some shots.   Can’t wait to go back this year.  From Derby we headed down the road to Silver Creek, New York where we got our grill on- at the Sunset Grill It was a great retro place with delicious food.  I made a not so cardiac friendly choice but it sure was good!

This is the way we roll-meandering from place to place stopping here and there randomly.  We ventured on to Dunkirk New York where we stopped at Dunkirk Lighthouse.  Boy do I love lighthouses.  Dunkirk Lighthouse is on Lake Erie.  It is a beautiful light and we  really enjoyed touring it. 

There were many other little stops during this trip-as there usually are, but the last notable thing was a giant bucket of KFC, and when I say giant I mean at least 6 feet tall.  Well hope you enjoyed my notes on this little excursion-have a great week!

This week is very simple a little taste of spring.  This is our yard and spring over the years.  There have been many changes and this year nothing is really coming out yet.  I think it will be a late spring and an early summer. 

 Just as in our lives some areas have flourished and others have died off.  When we first moved in the lilacs were brilliant, the bushes were very tall and bordered  two sides of our back yard.  They were full and spectacular, the scent was sweet and light and beautiful.  Now they are dying off which makes me very sad.  I have the worst green thumb ever and only the hardiest of plants survive here. 

Mya is our dog.  She is an Aussie shepherd /Border collie mix.  This image was taken after all her frumpy winter undercoat was brushed out and she had just had a bath.  She is a wonderful dog,  and a good friend.  She is a natural herder.  She herds us when she thinks it is time for bed, time to eat or time to walk.  This year she has taken to herding the grandson outside if she feels he is going somewhere he shouldn’t-which he thinks is both funny and frustrating.  Mya likes to be pampered – she is a girly girl.  She only acts up when it is time for a walk –then she jumps and pulls and barks.  I think some of this is her herding me to move a little faster on our adventure.  She is very good at alerting me to other people and other animals.  When I had my surgery and was unable to take her with me on my walks I felt very uneasy, and lonely.

 I look forward to the longer, warmer days and the sweet smell of spring.  I look forward to new blooms and green grass-mowing never seems like it will be a chore coming out of winter.  In Ohio it is shoveling, mowing or raking, each season has it’s own tasks.  Just when I think I absolutely can’t stand another day of one season another one is right around the corner.  

So this adventure was a new one, it took place on Sunday March 30th.  We headed down south for one of those rv resort tours-if you head down here you should look up Nick.  It was a nice place and we really enjoyed the trip down and the people we met there but at this time we weren't interested in the investment, so we took our perks and headed out to explore and to see what kind of trouble we could get into.  The sky was a brilliant color of blue, the sun was out and the temperature was warm enough.   On Broadhead Rd. near Kimbolton, Ohio and Salt Fork Lake, we ran across an abandoned home of course we had to pull over to take some pictures!  It was great but unfortunately surrounded by an electric fence and I wasn’t  quite skinny enough to squeeze under and definitely not tall enough to climb over so the images I took were from a bit of a distance.  Whenever I see something like this I always wonder the history of the place-who lived there, who died there, who was born there, and what kind of life the people lived.

In Coshocton we stumbled across the remains of a space that was the Park Hotel that burned down and is now a park area a project of the Pomerene Center of the Arts.    It was an interesting space and I captured some interesting images.  I didn’t find too much about the history of the Park Hotel.  We also wandered into Roscoe Village and had a meal at the local tavern, which was interesting to say the least.  The food was very good, the staff –not so excited to be there.

We drove around Cambridge, Ohio then headed toward Newcomerstown and meandered along the Tuscarawas River.  In Newcomerstown we ran across an old factory –the former Simond’s Industries that caught fire in 2013.  I was having a great time capturing images and exploring until I saw someone approaching- I thought oh no here we go – so I made a bee line for the car but didn’t quite get there before a gentleman who was dressed partially like Elvis quickly approached me.  He had on the glasses, and the hair the jacket and gold jewelry but had jean’s shorts on.  He immediately asked me if I knew who owned the property.  I replied no guardedly and tried to remain friendly- he continued to tell us about how he was engaged to Elvis’s daughter and that they were purchasing the property to make it into another graceland and car museum then to my relief he wondered off and we bolted.  Steve asked me why I didn’t pose for a picture with him- I was just glad to get away.  But I did capture a couple pictures of him from a distance! 

Finally we were going across the river and I noticed a pretty cool train trestle so I decided to jump out and capture some more images…..it looked safe enough.  I got closer and walked out onto the trestle it was double wide with tracks on only one side and heavy limestone on the other half so I thought ok and headed out onto it.  I got about half way across and about 20 ft above the river and all of a sudden I heard a noise and my left foot went right through the gravel and I could hear the stones hitting the water underneath me so I quickly yanked out my leg an leaped onto the railroad ties.  This was enough excitement for me, and from there we headed home.